Jump suit

ABSTRACT

A parachutist&#39;&#39;s jump suit includes a main sleeve to receive and fit closely about a limb; also, an auxiliary sleeve is attached to the main sleeve and extends along it toward an opening formed by the auxiliary sleeve to receive air in a space defined between the main and auxiliary sleeves, thereby to expand the auxiliary sleeve and develop pressure tending to impede the parachutist&#39;&#39;s fall.

United States Patent [191 Garcia [451 July 3,1973

[ JUMP SUIT [75] lnventor: Joe N. Garcia, Wildomar, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Marshall Yoakum, Los Angeles,

Calif.

[22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1971 211 Appl. No.: 208,214

[52] US. Cl. 2/79, 244/143 [51] Int. Cl A411! 13/00 [58] Field of Search2/79, 80, 81, 82,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS v10/1911 De Meir 2/2.l R12/1930 Heaton 2/232 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 786,357 11/1957Great Britain 2/81 Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter Att0meyH. CalvinWhite, William W. Haefliger et a1.

[ ABSTRACT I A parachutists jump suit includes a main sleeve to receiveand fit closely about a limb; also, an auxiliary sleeve is attached tothe main sleeve and extends along it toward an opening formed by theauxiliary sleeve to receive air in a space defined between the main andauxiliary sleeves, thereby to expand the auxiliary sleeve and developpressure tending to impede the parachutists fall.

' 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures JUMP surr BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to what is commonly known as skydiving, and more particularly concerns the maneuvering and braking ofthe sky divers fall through use of braking means associated with thedivers limb or limbs.

The sport of sky diving has recently gained widespread popularity, andthe need for safe and useful sky diving equipment has correspondinglylikewise increased. Group maneuvering of divers as well as otheractivities such as photography carried out during free fall has resultedin the need for equipment enabling the diver to vary and control hisfall velocity. While efforts have been made to meet this need, no-one,to my knowledge, has been able to provide the unusual structure,functions and results now afforded by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a major object of the invention toprovide a jump suit construction meeting the needs as referred to aboveand providing the unusual advantages as will appear. Basically, theinvention is embodied in a suit that includes, in combination, a mainsleeve to receive and fit closely about a limb of the parachutist; and,an auxiliary sleeve attached to the main sleeve and extending along ittoward an opening formed by the auxiliary sleeve to receive air in aspace defined between the two sleeves, thereby to expand the auxiliarysleeve and develop pressure and force tending to impede the free fall ofthe diver. The sleeves may consist of heavy fabric material, and morethan one (as for example all) of the divers limbs may be fitted withmain and auxiliary sleeves, as referred to, whereby he may orient hislimbs, so provided, relative to the up-rushing air, and eitherindividually or collectively, to maneuver his body and- /or brake hisfall, as desired. Typically, his rate of fall may thus be reduced withinthe range to 50 miles per hour. 4

More specifically, the main sleeve may be sized to receive theparachutists forearm or lower leg, and the auxiliary or outer sleeve maybe attached to the main sleeve near the elbow or knee receiving portionsthereof; the main and auxiliary sleeves may be attached togetherlengthwise thereof to still permit bellowing of the auxiliary sleeves;and the sleeves as defined may be incorporated in a quickly applied jumpsuit of zippered construction, as will appear.

The novel method of controlling the maneuvering of a human diver fallingin the atmosphere includes controllably orienting a limb relative to thefall direction to increase pressurization of air entrapped by the sleevemeans associated with that limb; and where such sleeves are associatedwith multiple limbs, the latter may be controllably orientedindividually or collectively to achieve the desired maneuvering orvaried' DRAWING DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 is an elevation illustrating use ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation showing the manner in which the jump suit isfitted on a parachutist;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken on lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken on lines 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical section showing details of the invention as appliedto a leg portion of the jump suit; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken on lines 6-6 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring first to FIG. 2, the illustrated jumpsuit 10 includes a body portion 11, arm sleeves 12 and leg sleeves .13.Like zipper connections 14 and 15 at the front of the suit extend asshown from the neck top at locations 16 to the leg portion bottoms atlocations 17. As a result the suit may be quickly applied to the wearerthrough manipulation of the zippers in relation to the front and sidepanels 18 and 11a, and in relation to the zipper connected sections 13aand 13b of the leg sleeves. When both zippers are completelydisconnected, front panel 18 is disconnected from side panels 11a, andsections 13a are disconnected from sections 13b, it being clear thatsections 13b remain integral with front panel 18. When the suit has beenfitted on the jumper, the top band 19 may be attached about the jumpersneck as by overlaying and connecting together band tabs 19a and 19b,these for example being surfaced with VELCRO interconnection layerswhich attach when pressed together.

The suit may consist for example of flexible fabric such as cotton duck,or other suitable material, and may be reinforced at the knees andelbows, as shown.

In accordance with the invention, an auxiliary sleeve is attached to atleast one main sleeve (as for example an arm or leg sleeve as referredto), the auxiliary sleeve extending along the main sleeve toward anopening formed by the auxiliary sleeve to receive or trap air in a spacedefined between the main and auxiliary sleeves, thereby to expand theauxiliary sleeve and develop pressure tending to impede the parachutistsfall. In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main sleeve 12 is sizedto closely receive the divers arm, and the auxiliary sleeve 21 isrearwardly connected at 22 to and about main sleeve (near the elbow) toextend forwardly along the forearm portion 12a of the main sleeve. Inthis regard, the auxiliary sleeve is shown as folded at 21a forattachment to the main sleeve, and is also folded at its lower terminal21b, for reinforcement. When the wearers forearm is directed generallydownwardly (as in FIG. 1 for example) during a fall in the atmosphere,air trapped in annular space 23 between the sleeves is pressurized bythe ram effect of the relative upward velocity air tending to enter thesleeve open end 24, in the direction of arrow 25. This in turn tends toexpand the auxiliary sleeve and develop force exerted upwardly on thewearers arm tending to impede his fall and permitting enhancedmaneuvering control as by varied directional orientation of the wearersarm relative to the direction of fall. Note that space 23 increases incross section toward end 24.

Merely as illustrative, the inner sleeve forearm portion 12a may be slitat 26 adjacent wrist portion 27, the latter being closely releasablyretained about the wearers wrist by overlapping and interconnection oftabs 27a and 27b, the interconnection being illustratedat 28 andconsisting for example of VELCRO facings, as previously referred to.Main and auxiliary sleeves as referred to may be provided in associationwith both arms of the diver, as seen in FIG. 2.

In the example seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the main sleeve 13 is sized toclosely receive the divers leg, and the auxiliary sleeve is rearwardlyconnected at 31 to and about the main sleeve (near the knee) to extendforwardly, with outward flare, along the lower leg portion 130 of themain sleeve. The auxiliary sleeve is shown as folded at 30a forattachment to the main sleeve, and is also folded at its lower terminal30b, for reinforcement when the wearer's lower leg is directed generallydownwardly (as in FIG. 1 for example) during a fall in the atmosphere,air trapped in space 32 between the sleeves is pressurized by the rameffect of the relative upward velocity air tending to enter the sleeveopen end 33, in the direction of arrow 34. This in turn tends to expandthe auxiliary sleeve and develop force exerted upwardly on the wearersleg tending to impede his fall, and permitting enhanced control ofmaneuvering, as by raised directional orientation of the wearers legrelative to the direction of fall. Space 32 also increases in areatoward end 33.

The main and auxiliary sleeves 13c and 30 may, with unusual advantage,be attached together at a lengthwise extending location therealong, foradded reinforcement tending to prevent relatively rearward displacementof the auxiliary sleeve relative to the main sleeve. For example, asseen in FIG. 5, the auxiliary sleeve may be attached to the main sleeveat lengthwise locations 36 and 37 adjacent opposite interconnectiblezipper sections 14a and 14b, and extending to the terminal portion 38 ofthe main sleeve. The latter is folded as shown and contains an elasticband 39 to retain the terminal portion 38 closely about the wearerslower leg. A U-shaped strap 40 is attached to the terminal portion 38and sized to extend under the jumpers boot, for retaining the mainsleeve against creep upwardly along the leg.

In use, the jumper or sky diver may controllably maneuver his limbsindividually and/or collectively from an upwardly extended position (formaximum dropping speed) to downwardly oriented or extended position inorder to achieve desired braking of his fall and selected roll of hisbody. If all four limbs are oriented downwardly as in FIG. 1, nearmaximum braking effect is achieved. The jumper 50 is shown as carryingmain and auxiliary parachutes 51 and 52.

The sleeves 21 and 30 may consist of flexible fabric such as cottonduck, canvas, or the like.

I claim:

1. In a parachutists jump suit, the combination comprising a. a mainsleeve to receive and fit closely about a limb of the parachutist, and

b. an auxiliary sleeve attached to the main sleeve at the outsidethereof and extending therealong and thereabout toward an opening formedby the auxiliary sleeve to receive air in a space defined between themain and auxiliary sleeves thereby to expand said auxiliary sleeve anddevelop pressure tending to impede the parachutists fall, the auxiliarysleeve when expanded flaring outwardly along its length andcircumferentially about the main sleeve, the suit having an elongatedzipper extend- 5 ing lengthwise along the main sleeve and along theauxiliary sleeve associated therewith, the zipper controlling openingand closing of the associated main and auxiliary sleeve.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said auxiliary sleeve whenexpanded has increasing cross sectional area in a direction toward saidopening.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said sleeves consist of heavyfabric material.

4. The combination of claim 1 including another main sleeve sized toreceive the parachutists arm, and another auxiliary sleeve extendingalong the forearm portion of the other main sleeve.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the other auxiliary sleeve isattached to the other main sleeve at a location proximate the elbowportion of the main sleeve.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said main sleeve is sized toreceive the parachutists leg, and said auxiliary sleeve extends alongthe lower leg portion of the main sleeve.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said auxiliary sleeve is attachedto the main sleeve at a location proximate the knee portion of the mainsleeve.

8. In a parachutists jump suit, the combination comprising a. a mainsleeve to receive and fit closely about a limb of the parachutist,

b. an auxiliary sleeve attached to the main sleeve and extendingtherealong toward an opening formed by the auxiliary sleeve to receiveair in a space defined between the main and auxiliary sleeves thereby toexpand said auxiliary sleeve and develop pressure tending to impede theparachutists fall, and

c. said main sleeve being sized to receive the parachutists leg, andsaid auxiliary sleeve extending along the lower leg portion of the mainsleeve, the main and auxiliary sleeves being attached together at alengthwise extending location therealong the suit having an elongatedzipper extending lengthwise along the main sleeve and along theauxiliary sleeve associated therewith, the zipper controlling openingand closing of the associated main and auxiliary sleeve.

9. The combination of claim 1 including suit other main sleeves toreceive and extend along all remaining limbs of the parachutist, andanother auxiliary sleeve attached to one of said other main sleeves inthe manner as defined in claim 1.

10. The combination of claim 1 including suit other main sleeves toreceive and extend along all remaining limbs of the parachutist, andother auxiliary sleeves, attached to said other main sleeves in themanner defined in claim 1, the suit having elongated zippers for each ofsaid other main and auxiliary sleeves, the zippers controlling openingand closing of the associated other main and other auxiliary sleeves.

* l 1.! III

1. In a parachutist''s jump suit, the combination comprising a. a mainsleeve to receive and fit closely about a limb of the parachutist, andb. an auxiliary sleeve attached to the main sleeve at the outsidethereof and extending therealong and thereabout toward an opening formedby the auxiliary sleeve to receive air in a space defined between themain and auxiliary sleeves thereby to expand said auxiliary sleeve anddevelop pressure tending to impede the parachutist''s fall, theauxiliary sleeve when expanded flaring outwardly along its length andcircumferentially about the main sleeve, the suit having an elongatedzipper extending lengthwise along the main sleeve and along theauxiliary sleeve associated therewith, the zipper controlling openingand closing of the associated main and auxiliary sleeves.
 2. Thecombination of claim 1 wherein said auxiliary sleeve when expanded hasincreasing cross sectional area in a direction toward said opening. 3.The combination of claim 1 wherein said sleeves consist of heavy fabricmaterial.
 4. The combination of claim 1 including another main sleevesized to receive the parachutist''s arm, and another auxiliary sleeveextending along the forearm portion of the other main sleeve.
 5. Thecombination of claim 4 wherein the other auxiliary sleeve is attached tothe other main sleeve at a location proximate the elbow portion of themain sleeve.
 6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said main sleeve issized to receive the parachutist''s leg, and said auxiliary sleeveextends along the lower leg portion of the main sleeve.
 7. Thecombination of claim 6 wherein said auxiliary sleeve is attached to themain sleeve at a location proximate the knee portion of the main sleeve.8. In a parachutist''s jump suit, the combination comprising a. a Mainsleeve to receive and fit closely about a limb of the parachutist, b. anauxiliary sleeve attached to the main sleeve and extending therealongtoward an opening formed by the auxiliary sleeve to receive air in aspace defined between the main and auxiliary sleeves thereby to expandsaid auxiliary sleeve and develop pressure tending to impede theparachutist''s fall, and c. said main sleeve being sized to receive theparachutist''s leg, and said auxiliary sleeve extending along the lowerleg portion of the main sleeve, the main and auxiliary sleeves beingattached together at a lengthwise extending location therealong the suithaving an elongated zipper extending lengthwise along the main sleeveand along the auxiliary sleeve associated therewith, the zippercontrolling opening and closing of the associated main and auxiliarysleeves.
 9. The combination of claim 1 including suit other main sleevesto receive and extend along all remaining limbs of the parachutist, andanother auxiliary sleeve attached to one of said other main sleeves inthe manner as defined in claim
 1. 10. The combination of claim 1including suit other main sleeves to receive and extend along allremaining limbs of the parachutist, and other auxiliary sleeves,attached to said other main sleeves in the manner defined in claim 1,the suit having an additional elongated zipper for one pair of saidother main and other auxiliary sleeves, said additional zippercontrolling opening and closing of said other main and other auxiliarysleeves of said one pair.